I reviewed the Wheels on the Bus and Word Magic iPhone apps for the I Education Apps Review community back in April. Each review consisted of a written component and a supplemental video review to show the app in action. One thing that I was never quite satisfied with was the technique I had to use to capture video of the iPhone app in use. To complete the first two app reviews, I resorted to mounting my video camera to a modified tripod that allowed me to capture video from directly above my iPod Touch. This method was less than ideal as it was very difficult to attain the proper lighting so that the screen was always clearly visible.

This weekend, I sat down to write, record and edit a long overdue IEAR review, but I just couldn’t seem to produce video of the iPod screen that was high-quality enough to use. After nearly an hour of frustration, I decided there had to be a better way to create video of an iPhone app in use. That’s when I turned to Google and YouTube. I started with a Google search of the terms “iPhone screen capture.” Jackpot. The search results provided a plethora of website and video tutorials.

After sorting through all the options, I found a method that involves jailbreaking the device and then allows me to emulate my iPod Touch on my Mac desktop. By using this method, I can ultimately use ScreenFlow to capture high-quality video footage of any iPhone app. For those of you who also want to create video of an iPhone or iPod Touch screen or demo an app via desktop/laptop and a projector, here is the process I used.

Warning: This process requires Jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch. Jailbreaking your device will void your Apple warranty.

  1. Jailbreak your device
  2. Install iPhone/iPod Touch software
  3. Install Mac software
  4. Run ScreenSplitr on iPhone/iPod Touch
  5. Run DemoGod on Mac desktop/laptop
  6. Capture DemoGod using ScreenFlow, Jing or other screen capture software

Resources for Jailbreaking iPod Touch 3.1.2

Web Tutorials

iPhone/iPod Touch Apps

  • Cydia
  • ScreenSplitr
    • iPhone app that mirrors your iPhone screen on a desktop monitor or laptop screen while still being able to view and interact with the iPhone.

Mac Software

Video Tutorials

For more information about the IEAR community, visit their website, wiki or Ning.